History honors society chapter receives national recognition for service work

Liberty University’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, a national honors society for history students, was recently recognized as one of the society’s 2017 Best Chapters.

Liberty’s chapter took the top honor for its division — schools with a residential student population of 10,000-15,000 — ranking higher than institutions such as Clemson University, the University of Notre Dame, the College of William and Mary, and George Washington University. Only six division winners are chosen annually from a pool of more than 970 university and college chapters across the country.

Liberty’s chapter was recognized for its commitment to research excellence through student presentations at academic conferences, service to the community through volunteer work at local churches and historical sites, and dedication to expanding knowledge by inviting guest speakers. This is Liberty’s second time receiving the award.

“Winning this recognition highlights the high quality work our history students are doing when it comes to research and service when we compete against some of these larger schools,” said David Snead, professor of history.

Chapter president and graduate student Caitlin Curtis said the club sought to be more service-minded this year. Some of the group’s projects included packing shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child project and hosting cleanup days at historical sites such as Historical Sandusky and Patrick Henry’s Red Hill.

“I always think about what the late (Liberty founder) Dr. Jerry Falwell would say, ‘If it’s Christian, it should be better,’” Curtis said. “We’re showing that (service) is what Liberty is about.”

History students are also standing out with their academic achievements. Graduate students Jon Bateman and John Emmert received Phi Alpha Theta’s 2017 History National Paper Competition awards for exceptional graduate papers with their submissions, “Continuity of Censorship in French Theater During the Ancién Regime, Revolutionary and Napoleonic Eras” and “A Testament to Leadership: The Ninth Infantry Division and Its Commanders During World War II.” They were two of the three national winners chosen.

“That’s an amazing honor because students from Yale also compete,” Curtis said. “I think it brings attention to how Liberty shines with our research and what our history department is doing.”

Phi Alpha Theta chapter officer Abigail Shimer said it has been exciting to see Liberty’s chapter receiving national recognition.

“People are able to see what we’re doing in terms of academics and research,” she said. “That has been great, to see our work is getting out there and is able to compete with top schools.”

Both Curtis and Shimer credit Phi Alpha Theta for giving them the opportunities to present their research on a national stage. Shimer was able to present a research paper on Marie Antoinette at an annual conference.

“It was a little nerve-wracking, but I had the support of all our chapter members,” she said. “That was the first time I was able to present my work in that type of setting.”

Liberty’s Phi Alpha Theta chapter has up to 60 active members each year. Curtis said that though the chapter is a great résumé builder for students, it is also a way to build community.

“So many of my friends have come from being part of Phi Alpha Theta,” she said. “We also make sure to plan many fun events throughout the year.”